The "Fat Burning Zone" - Outdated Myth

Great article for those that like to get on their treadmills and ellipticals and just do the "fat burning zone" workouts..

The Rule of the Game: Intensity

If you're looking to shed stubborn pounds, the rule of the game is to increase the intensity of your workouts. I want you to be working out at 85 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR). However, you may have heard the "fat-burning zone" theory that encourages you to work out at just 70 to 75 percent of your MHR. The outdated assumption is that your body is drawing predominately on fat calories for energy — WRONG! It's completely misleading and it's time to lay the "fat-burning zone" myth to rest.

During physical training, your body has three possible sources of energy: carbs, fat, and protein. Protein is a last resort — of the three energy sources, your body is the most reluctant to draw on your protein stores.

Whether your body takes energy from glucose, which it gets from the breakdown of carbs, or fat depends on the intensity of your workout. Training at a high level of intensity forces your body to draw on carb calories for energy — they are a more efficient source of energy, and your body goes for its premium fuel when you're working hard. If you are training at a low level of intensity, your body doesn't need to be as efficient, so it will draw on a higher percentage of fat calories for fuel.

Sounds like low-intensity training would be more effective when it comes to losing fat, right? Wrong. These physiological facts are the ones that spawned the mistaken belief that low-intensity activity is better than high-intensity activity when it comes to burning fat and losing weight. These days we know that even though the ratio of fat-to-carb calories might be higher during low-intensity exercise, fewer calories are used up overall. High-intensity exercise burns the biggest number of calories.

http://www.jillianmichaels.com/fitness-and-diet-tips/Fat-Burning-Zone-Myth

The Holidays are Approaching!

There are so many articles out there about how to stay fit and healthy over the holidays. I have to be honest. When it comes to the food, I've never been one for "pigging out" at holiday feasts, because most of the foods I just don't like! I don't like ham, I can't stomach sweet potato anything. Usually my guilty pleasure is green bean casserole. I'm such a rebel right?

My problem has always been the sweets. I'm not talking the candy, because unless it's Reese's, it's usually never an issue. I'm talking the cookies, or more importantly, my mother's sugar balls. They are just a no bake receipe of oatmeal, cocoa powder, butter, vanilla extract, rolled into little one inch balls and rolled through powdered sugar. UGH!!! These things are addictive!!!

Over the years I've become more disciplined in my choices and I think for me that has been because of knowledge and information I've acquired over the years through maintaining a food journal for my dietician because of my diabetes. Do I want to eat X-amount of calories in cookies and feel unsatisfied in a half hour, or eat X-amount of the healthier dishes at a meal that will keep me satisfied longer, and I won't crave those sugar balls because I'm FULL! I've tried to do that, because in knowing MYSELF, I can't eat sweets on a full stomach. It literally makes me ill just thinking about it.

We all know what works and doesn't work with our own self and body, and if not, we need to recognize the patterns we set for ourselves. If we know that we can't stop at just one, then don't take one at all. If we know eating this will lead to us craving that, have something else that will keep you from indulging too much. I also know that working out the morning of or the night before a party or gathering will leave you feeling less likely to want to "ruin" that workout you did. It's all about choices, and there are tons of suggestions out there on how to do this. There are a few links below. Pick and choose for yourself. They just might work!!

Keeping Fit Throughout the Holidays - Personal Fit Coach

Healthy Holiday Eating Tips

Eat Healthy Over the Holidays

Have a great week!!

Total Burnout!!

With all that's been going on with my life, this article came to my attention, and I wanted to share. Remember to take care of ourselves first!

Recognize the Early Signs of Burnout
Yasmeen Abdur-Rahman

Most of us are trying to balance work, home, and a family life. We tend not to accept the early symptoms of burnout and carry on our daily lives. In my opinion, living your life isn’t supposed to be that way. If you ignore the red flags, you’ll become gravely ill and your life could come to a complete halt.

To add to the normal day-to-day stresses, what about the poor economy and the war on terrorism? How many of us watch the news and all of a sudden, you get a headache? As much as I find the news to be a source of information, I try not to watch it everyday.


Here are some strategies that I put together that might help you right now:


- Eat well and exercise. Take vitamins and drink plenty of water

- Get your rest. Slow down

- Ask for help. Some of us are so self-reliant that we won’t ask for help from our family members or close friends. You can’t do it all, all the time, by yourself

- Take care of yourself first before you commit to others

- Don’t wait until the weekend to take that long, hot bubble bath. When you get home from work, (temporarily) turn off the ringer on your phone, shutdown the lights, and light a scented candle while sipping on a cup of tea. If you have children, find a babysitter for a few hours

- If you haven’t read a good book lately, start today. Go to the nearest bookstore (Barnes & Noble or Border’s) and order a latte then enjoy yourself

- Don’t skip your vacations and breaks. Spend your breaks meditating, praying or reading. Don’t bring work or your laptop with you on vacation

- Use technology to your advantage. Let the voicemail pick up your messages. Ask those who have email access to send their responses to your email account. That way, you won’t have to respond immediately

- Meet for brunch or dinner, at least once a month, with a group of close friends who share your common goals

Remember, take care of your body because it is yours to cherish. If you don’t, life will be hard to manage, and every little incident, small or large, that happens will become a huge risk towards a sound, healthy life.


Yasmeen Abdur-Rahman, Lifestyle Entrepreneur Coach and owner of The Brownstone Workshop in Cary, NC http://www.thebrownstoneworkshop.bigstep.com/ , or call for a free consultation. This article could be reproduced. Please include the authors credentials. . Article on early, burnout, finding balance, stress by Yasmeen Abdur-Rahman

Read more: http://www.zeromillion.com/personaldev/early-burnout.html#ixzz0VkwHmmNQ

Can't to Won't to WORK IT OUT!!

A great blogger I follow is FitJerk. He couldn't have achieved a better name. He's an in your face, no apologies kind of guy when it comes to health and fitness and his latest blog really hit home. It's called The Real Reason Why You Cant Get Shit Done! It's brutal honesty at it's best people! If you can't handle the truth, then don't read it.

The main point in his blog is changing your excuses from "I can't" to "I won't" because when it comes to health and fitness, in the end it's a CHOICE, so make sure you're being truthful as to WHY it is you're not achieving what you want to achieve. So basically it's not that you CAN'T do or achieve something, it's because your lazy butt just WON'T get up and do the things you need to do to get there. I know for a fact I fall into that category when it comes to fitness. It's definitely fallen by the wayside since starting my second job, and it's getting worse.

I'm always thinking I can't make it to the gym to do what I need to do, when in the end, that's a choice. Here's MY can'ts changed into won'ts. I can't make it to the gym because... I won't make it to the gym, because I won't schedule time, I won't get to bed on time, I won't get up early, I won't use my time off for fitness, I won't miss this tv show, I won't pass up relaxing on my ass to workout. HELLO!?!?! See what I'm getting at.

When it comes to fitness, I know I'm my own worst enemy. A lot of us are. The excuses are just that. Excuses. Sure there are days I work 14 hours, but then again, if my days that long anyway, what's an extra 20-40 minutes of weights, yoga, pilates, kickboxing or just plain walking?

I'm sure I'll get slack for this, but I hear the biggest excuses from people with kids. Do you not realize the extra workouts you can get just by running around the yard or at the park? Riding bikes, skating, heck, even wrestling with them in the living room? It's about motion and getting the heart rate up! Heck, my son used to go to the gym WITH me, and be right there doing things with me and my trainer Eric. He thought it was FUN! Never occurred to him it was a "workout".

In the end, it's about making choices for ourselves, and making the right ones. As a diabetic, I need to exercise and workout even moreso to keep my glucose levels in check, ESPECIALLY with the extra hours of work I put in and my stress levels being through the roof. Exercise helps me sleep better, and I know this from past experience. It's amazing that we are a society that has all the information we need to live healthy, positive, longer lives and can recite what's healthy, and what's not, and yet all we seem to do is talk. That's it. It's all talk. Time to make that knowledge power!

I need to get back on the path, and turn those can't/won'ts into can do's!!! I have so much coming up in the next two months, and I'll need to focus and get things done, and I can't do that if I'm sitting on my ass, making my jobs the excuses for not staying in shape, exercising and working out. I found out this weekend, not only are my mom, dad and son coming in for Thanksgiving, but they are bringing my late brother's daughter Hannah with them. I'm so excited!!!

I want to thank FitJerk. His blog is brutual, but inspiring. I seem to be empowered more through tough love. It's maybe why I'm such a fan of Jillian. Not that I'm comparing Jillian and FJ.. hehehe. *muah* I just like things told to me flat out. Just like FJ has on his blog... No Diets, No Excuses, No Whining, JUST RESULTS!! He kicks people's asses so they are adored by the masses!! Have a great week everyone!!

Hungry for Change - Food Inc

If there is one documentary you MUST see it's FOOD INC. The hubby and I watched it over the weekend, and let me tell you what a wake up call it was. Sure we know fast food is bad for us. We all know it, yet we are drawn to it any way. But what about the food in your local supermarket? If this film doesn't get you to think twice at the supermarket, nothing will. Some people "don't want to know", and that's their choice. But it truly helps explain the epidemic growths of not only obesity and diabetes, but things like ADHD, autism, and other disorders.

Excerpt from the website about the movie: "In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here."

Fast Food Nation is also one to check out before you scarf down the dollar menu. It will definitely make you think twice. Same with Super Size Me and other documentaries that show the ugly truth about what all this crap food is doing to us, and what's worse, how the government's control, or lack there of, for the standards in the food industry is enough to make you sick.

These aren't "conspiracy" movies, but if the other side doesn't start talking, to me it's just further proof that the almighty dollar is worth more than any human life to our elected officials, and it's sickening. Rent it today, or check your cable on-demand for it!!!

A VERY Happy Halloween!!

I got a call from my dad yesterday morning. Seems they are picking up Liam and heading out to PA for Thanksgiving. I was so suprised, overwhelmed and brought to tears knowing I'll be able to see not only them, but MY BABY BOY! I called to thank his dad and stepmom. It's amazing the things that can happen when you get along so great with your "baby daddy". He's the best and I hope he knows how much I love him, his wife and all the kids. They are the bestest! *hugs*

Well, Halloween night was my first gig playing DJ and Karaoke hostess at the Kettle Inn here in town. What a blast! Of course it took some time for people to get up the liquid courage to sing, but what a great time had by all. I just wanted to thank all of Ry's family for coming out, and Kerrie and Jim, and to Milyssa, Rachel and Crusher for stopping by. Stacy and Ashley showed up right in time for the costume contest, and Ashley won first prize (for the 2nd time that night, as she won at Aldo's too) with the Hummer Transformers costume Stacy made in a WEEK! I want to thank my hubby Ryan for helping me at the DJ booth with the door prizes, songs, requests and everything, and for dealing with the whiney drunks that wanted everything about them.. LOL. All in all, it was a blash, and was so wonderful to have everyone's support and love there. Thanks to Chris and Lori of the Underground for thinking of me, and giving me a call!

I hope you all had a great weekend and didn't eat TOO much candy. Stay out of the kids stash!! LOL. Love ya!

Happy Birthday Dad!!

I just wanted to take the time to wish my dad, Leroy, a very happy birthday today! He's really not one for celebrating his birthday, but TOO BAD! Mom, sis and my bro-in-law are taking him out bowling and just have some fun together with the family. Things have been hard on him since my brother's passing, but he's got a great wife in my mom, and they've been together for 33 years, and my sister, all their grandkids, and of course ME!!!

Celebrate life today Paps! I love you!!

National Cat Day!

Yes, that's right! Today, Thursday, October 29th, is National Cat Day! I had to post this pic because it reminded me of my own lil puss-puss Shamrock.

As always, have a wonderful day and give that special lil kitten, or any pet of yours that extra attention and luvin' that they so demand from you!

Things are looking up!

Well, it's been a hectic week, but a good one. My husband has been offered a temp job with UPS that's twice what he's been bringing home with UC, but it's good that we'll have the extra money for the holidays. I'm determined to make it "home for the holidays" and travel to my folks in Illinois so I can see my baby boy and family. The job is only through the holiday season, but it gets his foot in the door, and hopefully in the driver pool come their annual hiring in March.

Along with that, I was offered a DJ/Karaoke hosting job for Halloween night at a local pub, which should turn out to be fun as hell, as well as bring in some extra cash. If you already didn't know, I'm the karaoke queen, and have loved singing in front of people since I was little. My proudest, yet most nerve-racking moment was being able to sing the National Anthem at the Blair County Ballpark for an Altoona Curve baseball game. As far as the pub is concerned, I've never been inside this place, but I'm told it's small, but so with the friends and family that are saying they'll come out, as well as the regular patrons, I'm sure the house will be packed! It should be a total blast, and I'm really excited, and hope it goes well enough for a regular "gig".

Today we head out to the athletic club, because the hubby has finally decided he's had enough with being overweight, and wants to do something about it. I've always tried to encourage him to go with me, but never wanted to actually add him to my membership, because I wasn't going to pay for him to slack off. I really think working out will do wonders for his self esteem, as well as his health and wellbeing. We all have to make the choice for ourselves. People can try to motivate us all they want, but it's up to US to actually make the commitment to OURSELVES!! I just hope that he sticks with it. We have an appointment at 6pm tonight so we can go over everything at the club. I have to find the time to hit it as much as possible too, because although I've lost 10 of the 20 lbs I gained after giong back on insulin, I still have 20 lbs to go to where my doc wants me at and another 10 to get to where I would like to be personally. Sometimes I wish I would have just joined the 24 hr gym here by our house, but I'm locked into a 2 yr contract at the athletic club, but between the hours I work and the hours they are open, it's difficult to make it out there.

Things are going ok with both my full time and part time jobs. Crazy hectic at the day job, and with the holidays around the corner, I have a feeling it's going to get that way at the night/weekend job too. Sleep has been screwed up, but hopefully I can get on a schedule that doesn't hurt my health. Last night I got a good night sleep (for me, anyway) which was about 6 hours straight. Usually it's 2-4 hrs here, 2-4 hrs there, up and down all night. This morning, I got up ran a bath in the jacuzzi, and did a lil pampering this morning, and now it's almost time to get ready for work. If my life wasn't so crazy, I'd probably be bored out of my skull, so I'm thankful to have so many things to do to keep me busy and entertained.

Hope everyone's week is going great! I'm still not sure what I'm going to dress up as for Halloween, and probably won't know until that day! I have a wedding before my gig, so it will have to be something that's a quick-change thing, so I don't have to have too much time to prep. It should be fun! Anyone going out and dressing up for Halloween? What are you going as? I'd love to know!! Or better yet.. send me pics!! LOL Have a great hump day folks!!

I <3 Jillian!!

I'm so excited! Just found out that Jillian has been given her own tv show, a companion show to TBL. "The network has picked up eight episodes of “Losing It With Jillian” from Reveille in association with Empowered Media. Michaels will travel the country showing weight-challenged Americans that they can get the same results as contestants on “The Biggest Loser” without attending the show’s immersive fitness boot camp." - read full article here.

They are also doing a casting call for the show. Click the picture for more details!!! Can't wait!!